February 26, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR LAURA CRUZ IN INDIANA
Holly:
Congratulations on knowing exactly what you want to
accomplish in college. Not everyone knows what they
want to study when they attend college, while they are
a Junior in High School.
Definitely you want to take full advantage of any
summer programs (pre-college) you can get
into...especially if they have to do with your future
college major. Also, any internships, coops,
volunteer work that you can add to your work
experience also helps. Colleges look at you from all
directions, not just academics.
I'm not sure what the USC-IT program is? I have a
nephew at USC, I could ask him more details if you
like? If this program is focused on IT (Information
Technology), and you are interested in medical...I
wouldn't recommend overwhelming yourself with both
fields. My husband is in IT and he is constantly
reading/studying what new products are coming out - he
works a lot of extra hours. It would be a lot to do
medical and IT at the same time. I know from my
nephew that USC is a tough school...it's very
competitive and they have incredible resources to pull
from while studying there. (GREAT school choice.)
I'm sure you will do fine with what direction you
choose. Remember to keep the focus on your
dreams/goals...YOU CAN DO IT! And don't overwhelm
yourself with too much. You will be plenty busy with
the medical programs.
Good luck!
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February 25, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR SUZAN SONG IN IL
First, it's great that you have lots of ambition and know what you want!
However, I really believe that your high school/college years are the best
times to build your own identity and interests. For sure you should concentrate
on your career, future stability, etc. But you should also set aside a priority
for yourself - learning what you like and dont' like, different things that you
are passionate about, and meeting others with ideas unlike yours.

I say this because medical school is isolating. It's an intense and strange
experience, and the main way to do well is to have support, and to have outside
interests to keep you going. You're going to spend 4 years of your life very
focused on one thing - medicine. And although it's interesting, it's also easy
to get bogged down.

I tell you all that to tell you this - please don't feel pressured to do extra
activities that you might not like just to make it look good on a resume. If
you pick your activities based on your passions, then med schools will pick up
on it. If that camp sounds like something you'd absolutely love - then for
sure, go for it. If, however, you're in love with rock climbing, and want to
spend time doing that - then I'd definitely choose that. We on the admissions
committee (I interview students for our medical school) look for students who
are more "well-rounded" people - bc they're normally better clinicians. If,
however, you want to do research or a non-clinical path, and if you just really
want to only focus on one thing, then definitely follow your heart. That's
often a hard thing to do :) take care, and feel free to email me whenever.